The benefits of massage and acupressure have been known for centuries. Massage as a form of therapy has been used by almost all cultures for thousands of years, dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans where Hippocrates extolled its virtues as a form of medical treatment. There are currently over 100 different types of massage therapy being practiced today. Acupressure is a specific type of massage, dating back over 5,000 years in ancient China. The technique consists of applying localized pressure to specific points on the body as opposed to acupuncture which inserts needles into these same points. The effects of acupressure and acupuncture are similar. Studies have demonstrated that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system, causing alterations in the amount of neurotransmitters and/or neurohormones released, thus resulting in changes in blood flow, immune function and/or pain perception. The effects of massage and acupressure such as reduction in pain, muscle tension and stress are well documented.
Other physical methods which have been scientifically proven to reduce pain and muscle spasm include physical modalities such as applying heat or cold. In addition, recent medical studies have demonstrated that treatment with magnetic fields reduces muscular pain and is useful in treating persistent neck pain. See, for example, Vallbona, Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 1997, 78, 11 and Orthopedics 1990, 13(4), 445. Treatment with these types of modalities typically requires daily treatment. In fact, most types of pain and spasm respond better to daily treatment whether it is by physical modalities or massage. Indeed, many instructors of ancient healing arts and physical therapists instruct their clients on self management of pain using techniques of self massage, self acupressure or other self administered physical modalities. Thus, with most injuries it is advantageous to be able to self-treat the painful area.
With regard to muscular pain, it is common to have pain or spasm over the back of the neck and extending down to the lower back. Unfortunately, these areas are difficult to reach if one is to attempt self-treatment. There are some devices designed to allow the user to massage the back portion of the body as disclosed by Casares in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,536, Wright in U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,198 and Matsumoto in U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,002. These devices typically massage a small portion of the back at a time and can be difficult to use or control in certain areas of the body. In addition, these devices are not designed to take advantage of heat, cold or magnetism during acupressure treatment. Moreover, these devices are not designed with a detachable pressure applicator member that can be used separately from the device.
Therefore, there is a need for a massage apparatus and a method which permits the user to apply different types of pressure and physical modalities to various parts of the body without any assistance in a simple, economical, yet effective manner.